The Order is Like This

I am speaking of order of importance.

Ryan

Samara - our sweet dog

Bamboo Plant (not really bamboo I know)

Cats - they might be higher on the list but they still hiss at me

Soooo sick and sad looking

So you can image my dismay when I came home from a weekend conference to find my bamboo plant on the verge of death.  I had left Ryan to care for it for two days and this is what I came back to??  I think I feel attached to this plant because it is the only house plant I have been very successful with.  This is only because it is hard to go wrong with it.  I just have to water it once a month or less and it lives a happy life adding green to the house.  When I got home from the conference it is the first thing that I noticed and I could not wait to ask Ryan what he had done to this plant that seemed indestructible.  Then I remembered.  I had watered it before I left.  This is the first time I have had to water it since we have been up here.  It must have been the water.  The leaves turned yellow (as happens when it get too much sun).  This happened to our other bamboo plant and I thought it was because I had put it in too sunny of an area.  Now I realize that it has only gotten healthier since it has been sitting next to the filtered water and I water it with what is left after I get a drink.  POINT IS our water attempted to kill our bamboo.  I am sure it will be fine once he is switched to filtered water - so high maintenance!!  Just makes you think that there is something not so healthy that we have in our well up here.

The little guy is showing hope that he will be okay.

Toilets

The toilets here are disgusting.  Beyond disgusting.  Heidi came over the other day and suggested using a pumice stone to clean them.  I did the research and I guess you just use a normal beauty pumice stone.  The reading I did said to test to make sure it does not damage the porcelain but I am way beyond being worried about some scratching.  The toilets would still be embarrassing in a normal house but they look so much better I had to post the results.  I will keep working on them but after the stone got small (used the entire thing) and I dropped it twice and got splashed each time, I stopped.  

The not so cool 3-0!

For my actual birthday I decided to go to a KT Tunstall concert.  I have been watching her tour schedule for years, seriously!  What luck that she performs on my birthday.  I think she is a super cute, cool rock star.  One of those people that you might think that you are cooler because you listen to her and have all of her albums (or digital files).  I mean she plays some pretty kick ass songs like 'Sill a Weirdo' and 'Gone to the Dogs.'  Okay so those are not the best titles but hey I like her.  She is European so does not spend that much time touring in the states so I was thrilled I would be able to see her.  Here is a link to her webpage in case you are not hip enough to know who she is.  As we were headed to the concert I looked up the address to make sure we would take the shortest route.  Her webpage said the concert was rescheduled.  Upon further inspection she was scheduled to play at a smaller venue.  She went from the Warfield to some ballroom.  Hmmm...I guess these were not the sought after tickets that I had thought they were.  But she has a new CD out and it is getting played on all of the best stations.  Still excited we got to the venue.  I ran in to make sure our tickets transferred fine since we were will call.  Then we headed to get some drinks before the show. 

About 40 minutes before it started we headed to the venue.  The line of people was discouraging.  I mean I don't mean to be judgmental but where were all the cool people?  Where were the trendy clothes and the youth of the city.  We were in SF and in reality it is difficult to get such a badly dressed group of people together.  But here we were joining them in line.

We got in and it is a super small venue.  The opening act was terrible.  But then cute KT comes out.  She was great.  Started off with so much energy.  But there was this guy in front of me with his iphone.  For some reason he needed to record this whole event.  This always annoys me.  Even with still photography, which is my thing right?  People need to enjoy the moment.  Will he enjoy the concert as much when he sits and watches it at home.  No!  And he would enjoy the moment more now if he gave his arm a break and stopped holding up his damn phone that is blocking my view.  This makes me feel older.  I guess this is the digital age and I should not be any more annoyed at him than I was at the guy at the Jack Johnson concert that was facebooking about being there.  But they both drive me nuts.  Just be here.  Be present and enjoy right now.  Argh! But as I said KT was great.  Everything I expected.  I was getting tired though.  An early 9:00 and I am getting tired.  This is partially because I forgot (age related??) to take my energy drink before I left the car.  Actually we bought energy drinks and forgot them at home.  Bought new ones at the gas station and then forgot to grab them before leaving the car.  But remember the concert is great!  Then KT says that she will forever love San Francisco because KFOG was the first station to play her song in the states. What!?! KFOG!!!  KFOG is a terrible station.  It is the station my friends parents listened to when I was in high school.  My high school math teacher had a KFOG "Foghead" bumper sticker on his podium.  And worst of all I find myself listening to KFOG all the time lately.  Sometimes they are the only good station.  It is one of those markers.  I always thought of it as the old peoples station and now it is programmed into my car radio.  That is how it ended.  On a KFOG note just to rub it in that I am actually getting older.  Whatever, I had a great time at the concert.  I still think she is a rock star and like her even more after seeing her live.  And I loved that it was at a small venue.

How do you want to spend your 30th birthday???

I wanted everyone to come and help me fill a dumpster!  I know I am sooo much fun.  But it was the best gift.  Mom, Jeff, Madeline, Rod, Kami and Eric came.  Ryan and I have been trying to clear stuff out and in the meantime a lot of it sat in the driveway.  It does not feel like home if there is trash in the driveway.  Especially when it is not even your own trash!!!  We got a huge dumpster and it was quickly filled.  Now we need to get a second one. But the driveway is clear and the remainder of the junk is in the carport and shed.  At least I do not have to look at it every day.

It says recycle but really it is just headed to the dump :(

Madeline also cleared out the attic with me (brave with all the rat droppings that were up there) and then she cleared out the attached shed and work room.  These pictures do not do justice to her accomplishments.  Look at all those tiny drawers she went through.

Aviary

There was an aviary by the pond.  I decided that I wanted it down.  Look at it.  There is no need for it to be up.  We are not going to contain any animals in it.  It is just there crowding area that could look nicer around the pond.

It seemed like a big task but one that would be very rewarding.  So I got my trusted crowbar and went to work. Everything was out to get me!  Huge spiders, poison oak, wire mesh cutting my hand and wanting to poke my eyes out, rusted nails...more dangerous than I thought.  After I got the wood structure down I noticed that there was a bottom to it.  If I had not been stomping all over this thing I would have been afraid that something was under it.  But I felt safe and pulled up the flooring.  YIKES.  Well much more than a yikes!  I turned into a bit of a sailor as this rat ran out and up my pant leg.  Now it was not far up just a foot or so but AHHHH!  Then it got caught up in the mesh aviary.  Long enough for me to grab my camera for proof. 

It was a big sucker.  But as I watched it trapped in the aviary I realized it is much different than the city rats I am use to seeing in SF. This guy was fuzzy and sweet looking.  Granted if I had a way to kill him he would be a goner.

See the tree that is on the top pictures.  It had fallen and was beyond my skill level.  Jeff took care of it.  Got out is chain saw and went to work.  Now we just have a neat pile of wood.

A beauty

Found this guy as I was cleaning up before we get the dumpster.  What a pretty one.  Let him go after the picture.  He lives under our deck now.

Ryan's New Tools

Ryan has been eyeing the power tools.  Today we went to get a new power saw but then we saw this pack and it was a great deal. Tools we need to get things done around here.